Advancing Our Knowledge of Hockey Through Statistical Analysis

Alexander the Best

For those who still think that Sidney Crosby, or anyone else (in my mind Lundqvist is the only other rookie worth considering), deserves the rookie of the year over Alexander Ovechkin you really need to watch this. He does everything.

Not only do I think that Alexander Ovechkin is the best rookie in the NHL I think he is easily one of the top 5 forwards in the NHL and might even already be the best. Ovechkin is 2nd (to Jagr) in goals scored and 8th in points. But what might be the most amazing stat is that he has 71 points, 40 points more than any other player on the Washington Capitals. He has 7 more goals than any other player on his team has points. He has 16 power play goals and 3 short handed goals. He is playing with guys like Zubrus, Halpern, Pettinger and Willsie. Just imagine what he would be doing if he played with players Straka, Nylander, and Rucinsky like Jagr. Kovalchuk has Marc Savard and Marian Hossa and vice versa. Alfredsson has Heatley and Spezza and vice versa. Staal has Brind’amour, Cole and Stillman. Thornton had Murray and Samsonov and now has Cheechoo and Marleau. Ovechkin has Zubris and Pettinger. Because of that he might already be the best forward in the NHL.

No, it isn’t Alexander the Great, it is Alexander the Best.

2 comments

I like him too, not just his display of phenom skills but also his attitude. He really seems to love playing in the NHL. He’s one of the few players that watch every hockey game they can, when they aren’t playing themselves and hes really taken to playing in north america. I heard he’s really trying hard to learn english (taking lessons) and he always seems like he’s in a good mood when warming up. I don’t get to see him play a whole lot but from what I have seen he’s a good all around player (and doesnt bitch at refs like syd).

Alexander is like a one-man wrecking crew for Washington. He is everything that is listed in the previous post. I think that he could become an incredibly valuable asset to any playoff-contender. The rookie still has a lot of time left to play and has yet to reach his full potential. You probably are wondering about that, but he is going to be a great player and rival the greats like Gretzky, Howe, Esposito, Messier, and others. I think, however, that for the end of his career, he will play somewhere other than Washington.

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